- CCOO and UGT have called a 24-hour general strike for Wednesday 11 November 2026, the two unions’ first joint one since 2012.
- They are demanding action on housing prices, wages and collective bargaining.
- Striking is a fundamental right: each worker decides whether to join, does not have to give notice and cannot be replaced by staff from outside the company.
The CCOO and UGT unions confirmed on 7 October 2026 a call for a 24-hour general strike across Spain on Wednesday 11 November. It is the first they have called together since 2012. On Thursday 22 October they presented their proposal for minimum services in transport, one of the sectors where setting those services usually generates most debate.
The call comes on the eve of the general election on 29 November: the election campaign starts two days after the strike. Other organisations, such as the CGT and the Basque union LAB, have joined, while employers’ organisations, led by CEOE, have questioned whether the demands are employment-related.
Why it has been called
The unions justify the stoppage above all on housing and wages. They are calling for a brake on rising rents and house prices, for a recovery of purchasing power in a year in which inflation reached 4.9 % in September, and for collective bargaining to be unblocked. The tenants’ union Sindicato de Inquilinas supports the call.
The background includes the rejection by Congress, on 2 October, of the Government’s housing decrees, which it approved again on the 6th, with Parliament already dissolved. A general strike is not directed against any particular company: it is a protest against economic and social policy, although, like any strike, it is exercised in each workplace.
What the law says
The right to strike is recognised in Article 28.2 of the Constitution and is still governed by Royal Decree-law 17/1977. The unions must give notice of the call in advance, but each worker decides individually whether to join and is not obliged to inform the company. During the strike the contract is suspended: the day’s pay and the proportional part of the extra payments are not earned, and the worker moves to a special registration status with Social Security.
The company cannot replace strikers with workers who were not linked to it when the strike was called, nor penalise anyone for joining it, and those who decide to work cannot be prevented from doing so. In essential services, such as transport, health or energy, the competent authority sets minimum services that must be provided, and pickets may only inform and persuade peacefully.
What a company should prepare
For a company, the day calls above all for organisation: knowing which activities are essential, how customers will be served if part of the workforce is absent and what effect the transport stoppage may have on deliveries, travel and commuting. Workers are not obliged to answer if the company asks in advance who will join the strike.
In the November payroll, the day not worked must be deducted for those who strike and the strike status reported to Social Security within the set deadlines. Anyone with questions about minimum services, collective agreements or specific cases should raise them with their employment adviser. This information is of a general nature.
Striking is a right; preparing well avoids unnecessary conflict.
This article is general information. It is not legal, tax or investment advice, and it does not take anyone’s particular circumstances into account.
